I'm currently restoring my Airstream and would like to replace some of the curtains (I made some curtains for the front windows) with 2" metal blinds. My problem is that the handle to open and shut the windows sticks out quite a bit from the wall and in order to clear that handle, I'm afraid the blinds will also stick out and there will be gaps at the sides. The place where I'm ordering the blinds from does offer a piece of hardware that allows you to mount the blinds away from the wall. But this won't be great for privacy.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions? Or am I going to have to toil away and make 10 more curtains...noooooo!!! ;-)

I know all about the labourious task of making drapes! I just finished them for our '64 GlobeTrotter. We installed 1/2" micro mini-blinds over our stove, different from your plan for 2" blinds I know, but we adapted a few of the drapery slides to install the blinds. This seems to work out pretty well and doesn't effect the cranks or latches for the windows.

You are my inspiration! What a beautiful renovation! Also, I love the dinette idea - cause I would like to use my Safari for a home/office. So, finding a spot for a nice workspace makes sense. I'm just not sure if I want to lose the second sleeping spot.

In re: to the blinds - what about the the window hardware - like the handle which opens and shuts the window? I can't see it sticking through your blind in the pictures, but I'm pretty sure that if I were to install blinds, the handle would stick through the blind and I'm wondering if that's going to be a problem. Do you not have one like mine (by the way - our Airstreams look very similar on the inside)?

Also, I'm curious about your refrigerator. We're trying to get ours out - it seem to be stuck in there at this point (I'm sure we'll figure it out). I'd like to put in a smaller refrigerator and am looking into getting one. But I love the door on yours. What is that? Is that a screen that you had made? Tell all...:-)

Thanks for the info. Its much appreciated. What do you mean by "end panels" exactly? And when you say that the blinds will tear the curtains during travel - do you mean if you put blinds and curtains on the same window? I'm assuming that's what you mean and I will only be using one or the other so that won't be a problem. Let me know about the end panels.

Thanks for your kudos on our "restoration" I would love to compare trailers...do you have pictures posted anywhere? I find that even though they are the same year & model each one has it's own individuality...I love to check 'em all out at rallies!

Anyway, in answer to your questions ~

The window crank & latch are both there and as we found them...we didn't change a thing. They fit behind the micro-mini blind just fine. We do have to raise the blind to access them, however they don't poke through at all. The micro-mini blind is only 1/2" which would make a difference if you were to use 2" blinds, because the blind centers on the drapery track the way we installed it.

With regards to our refrigerator, it's just the original Dometic and it has a plastic laminate face that matches the countertops & table...a solid taupey-beige color ~ nothing special.

It you wnat me to send you any additional photos of the crank & latch, let me know & I will do so...

Ok, I just posted some "before" shots of my interior in the member's photos section. I hope you can find them. The trailer is all torn up now - but you can see that it wasn't in terrible shape before. I just want it to be totally beautiful! I'm sure you can relate..:-)

I'll let you know about the crank - I'll need to look at mine again but maybe you're right and it won't get in the way.

Thanks again for the info - I have a feeling you're going to be a great resource! By the way, your website is fabulous.

Nina. Blinds are usually fastened at the bottom. That leaves a gap at the side of the shades. The wall is curved, the shades are straight, which results in a gap. End drape or curtain panels tend to block that gap.

Shari- love your interior, and the ingenuity on mountng those blinds.
My wife and I put a fair amount of thought into remounting the tracking pieces on our airstream's side window blinds. The woven woods were original and in pretty good shape, other than needing a cleaning, but the tracking pieces that ride up and down the rail and keep the drape riding on the curve were broken.
We used trim cement and glued the elastic straps to the inside of the blind edges, and then to the part of the tracking piece still left in the track. It works well and has held up over the past few months of high heat. I found you can finesse the track inserts into the track without removing the whole thing, and never broke any.
Great to see what you all can do to the interiors!!

Well, here I am asking for more advice! I'm looking for some caps so that I can remake my shower curtain. Did you remake yours? I can't seem to find them in any local hardware store - including Home Depot - but I did find them on-line here - http://www.snapfastener.com/snaps/caps.htm. Unfortunately, I've tried to order them a couple of times and I get no response. Do you have any ideas where to get them? Thanks in advance for any info you might have.

I was fortunate to have the original slider-tabs in the track, so I just re-used them. I did not however have the old curtain itself, so I have no idea what it's supposed to look like...I've never seen an original, except in pictures on the web where it's all bunched up by the sink. I always wondered why they don't bunch it to the other end so it doesn't block the sink and look so sloppy? Oh well...

I don't know what you mean by "caps" and the link you provided to the webpage did not work for me...I assume they attach to the "male" part of the snaps I see on my shower stall wall. I've wondered what those were for....

If the "caps" are the "female" part of the snaps, I would think that a large fabric store would have them. You may need to drill out the rivet of the old "male" parts and replace them to go with new "female" part so that they match.

All I did for my shower curtain was make a template of the curved portion of the ceiling and cut down a standard vinyl one. I then stitched bias tape along the cut edges to reinforce it. And added the slider-tabs at approximately 6" on center & "ta da" it was done! It only took about an hour...it doesn't wrap around by the faucet how I think the original ones do (?), but it looks & works fine.

I did take pictures of the tabs and finished curtain, but I don't have them on our webpage yet and they are at home so I can post a follow-up later to show what the tabs look like.

Shari

P.S. If anybody has an original shower curtain and can share a pattern, I would love to re-make mine to match the original at some point.

Actually the piece I'm talking about is a grommet-like "cap" which is used so that the shower curtain can slide in the track on the curved ceiling. The tracks fine but I can't get the "caps" out of the old shower curtain to try to save them - so I need to find new ones. Is that a better description? Maybe if you try just re-typing that link I gave you last time in your browser, it will take you there and you can see what I'm talking about.

Hey, once I make my shower curtain which won't be long once I get those caps - I'll send you my old one. That would be no problem as I was just going to throw it away.